A Different Ending
by DarkMonarchs
Summary: What if the meeting between Zelena and Regina had gone a little differently?


_**Here's a twist to Zelena and Regina's meet in 3x13. I believe that these are two women who deeply desire family and want to no longer be alone. Based on that I think it would be fun to see these two navigate sisterhood. Enjoy! Please review and let me know what you think.**_

* * *

"I'm your sister." At her words I feel an absolute shock course through me. Another lie Mother has left behind for me to encounter. "Actually half-sister, but details, details." This cannot be possible, though if I'm being honest with myself it's not that hard to believe, Mother was one of those people that did whatever she had to do to get what she wanted. It doesn't surprise me that she gave up a child, I'm guessing because she was green.

Nevertheless, this doesn't have to be a bad thing. I have a sibling, family. Someone who shares the same DNA with me, maybe we could find some middle ground. "So, tell me. Are you the older sister or the younger one?" She seems taken aback by my question, yet answers hesitantly "Cora had me first, before she wormed her way into the dregs of royalty." I nod, "Well that doesn't surprise me, Mother was a despicable person, who did a great deal of atrocities all for the sake of power. I can see why she would disown a child, simply for being hindrance to her plans."

Once again she looks taken aback by my response, yet replies "Our mother gave me up and sent me away but you, you she kept, you she gave everything to." I notice the annoyance attached to the statement, so that's what this is all about, some latent desire to avenge her abandonment.

I shake my head at her and sigh deeply "I understand how hard it must have been to grow up without a mother, but trust me, many times in my life I'd hoped that I were an orphan. You didn't go through the abuse, the constant torment, the pressure of having to be good enough and the punishment that came with failing her expectations, some of which were always unreachable. You were lucky to escape her."

She looks on confused, a brief drop in her guard allows me to see everything I needed to know, she's unsure now. She briefly shakes her head "Spare me the martyr complex, Regina. Imagine living in Oz, alone." I nod at her "I understand how that might be awful, forced to grow up alone and never know a mother's affection, but even having a mother cannot guarantee you that. For all intents and purposes, I had one and all I knew was rejection and constant criticism. You're are right, she did give me everything, but everything she wanted."

She steps down from the pedestal in the middle of the courtyard and exclaims "Imagine living knowing no one ever thought you were good enough, not your mother and not the only man that has crossed both our paths."

I chuckle at her "My dear, you have much to learn about my life then. Mother never thought me to be good enough to actually be queen, which is why she attempted to kill a princess in order for me to marry a king, who was so in love with his deceased wife, he never turned an eye in my direction. I faced an indifference unparalleled during that marriage. Then came the time when I ascended the throne, the people still loved their besotted princess and I was nothing more than an evil queen, not good enough to rule them either. Lastly to add insult to injury, I raised a child for 10 years only for him to turn his back on me and seek out his birth mother because I was not good enough. As you can see, I'm quite familiar with being less than adequate."

I sigh deeply once again "As for Rumple, I was nothing more than a pawn. A chess piece to be moved to his liking, just so that he could be reunited with the son that he cast away out of pure cowardice. That curse was nothing grand, it only left you behind with a void that could never be filled." I insert my hand inside my chest and rip out my heart for the second time in the same day. "This is the result of that curse, a shriveled, destroyed, barely functional heart."

I return my heart to its rightful place and move to sit down on the bench, while I wait to see what she has to say. "You don't know what it was like. Growing up alone with no one to care for you, having to live like this. Everyone feared me because of what I looked like. They thought me to be diseased, I had no one and when I find out that she had another child whom she kept just further cemented the ideal that I was something foul, meant to be hidden."

I stand up and grasp her hand "You don't have to be hide anymore, we could give this a try. Attempt to be siblings, say what you will about them but I know no one here will treat you badly for what you look like. I offer you a different path, stay here, disregard whatever vengeful plans you have and we can give being a family a try. Both Mother and Rumple are dead, they are no longer an inconvenience to us. We no longer have to be concerned of their expectations or whatever they might be cooking up next."

She shakes her head. "How do I know this isn't a trick?" I smile sadly at her "Same way I know you won't gain my trust only to betray me. We have to trust each other and believe that despite what might have happened we wish to leave the past behind and start anew."

I await her answer with a bated breath, knowing that these next words will determine, whether we'll face off as enemies or become allies. She smiles at me "Ok, I'd like to try." I nod and smile at her "Very well then, let's get everyone here, but before we go." With a wave of my hand we're back in my chambers, "You didn't go through with it." I hear the Thief say, I release him from his holds and work on reorganizing my dresser. "You were right, the sleeping curse wasn't the answer. As you said, I just needed to find something to live for." He smiles at me "And you found it? What?" I smile back and gesture Zelena to come forth, as she stands next to me I state firmly. "Family."

* * *

_**Well I hope you enjoyed this, it most certainly has room to grow and while everyone loves a good villain maybe it's time for a little smooth sailing. Plus with these two, who knows what kind of trouble they could get it. Let me know if you'd like to see a continuation to this. Thanks for Reading!**_


End file.
